Sara Jenkins was lucky enough to be raised gypsy-style. Now an acclaimed New York chef, Jenkins thinks of herself as a great home cook who just happens to work in a professional kitchen. Fortunately for us, the dishes she shares in her new book, Olives & Oranges: Recipes & Flavor Secrets from Italy, Spain, Cyprus & Beyond, are just as disarmingly unpretentious.

The daughter of a foreign correspondent and the noted food authority and author Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Sara spent her childhood traipsing around the Mediterranean basin. By the time she was a teenager, she had lived in Italy and Spain, France and Lebanon, cooking and eating in world capitals and rural hamlets and picking up flavor secrets all along the way.

Like her adoptive Tuscan grandmother and the resourceful home cooks all around the Mediterranean who served as her first teachers, Sara Jenkins knows how to make simple ingredients sing. As part of today's generation of great chefs, Jenkins makes food rooted in Mediterranean tradition while never being limited by it. Recipes range from truly authentic renditions of Mediterranean standards, such as Classic Tuscan Eggplant Parmesan or Mechuia, the Tunisian version of caponata, to thoroughly modern, even unorthodox dishes like Pasta with Sweet Corn and Spicy Lemon-Chocolate Ganache Tart.

Building on the "language of flavor" Jenkins learned in the Mediterranean, Olives & Oranges shows you how flavors work together and independently so you can make the most of the ingredients you have on hand and become a better, more confident cook. From quick and colorful shredded root vegetable salads and flexible fish recipes to ripe, aromatic fruit cordials and subtly savory desserts, Olives & Oranges is packed full of recipes and flavor tips sure to send you running to the market.

Some highlights include

Roasted Red Peppers with Garlic and Celery Leaves: The unexpected addition of celery leaves gives this classic a slightly bitter bite, making for an easy yet sophisticated appetizer.

Pasta with Sweet Corn: With an inspired usage of the classic American ingredient, this dish showcases the magnificent sweetness of caramelized corn.

Halibut with Brussels Sprout Leaves, Black Olives, and Chili: Meaty halibut ably takes on the aggressive pairing of olives and chili, while separating the leaves from the Brussels sprouts gives this main course a sweet finish.

Lemon Olive Oil Cake: Perfect either at breakfast or after dinner, Italy's answer to the pound cake is richer and more unctuous than the more familiar buttery version. Yogurt adds an unexpected tang.

About the Authors

The daughter of the noted food author Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Sara Jenkins has earned raves for her food at all the New York restaurants where she has been the chef, including 50 Carmine, Il Buco, I Coppi, and Patio. Her newest venture, Porchetta, is located in New York City's East Village. She lives in New York with her husband and young son.

Mindy Fox is the food editor of the magazine La Cucina Italiana and a former editor at Saveur. She has written for many magazines, including Saveur, Every Day with Rachael Ray, and Prevention, and has collaborated on a number of cookbooks.